An Edited Life: Simple Steps to Streamlining your Life, at Work and at Home by Anna Newton

Pam Norfolk

There is no better time to get your life organised than at the start of a new year.

So whether you want to declutter your wardrobe, streamline your exercise schedule, readjust your food budget, make a social life that works better for you, or simply reshuffle your bookshelves, award-winning online content creator and lifestyle blogger Anna Newton has all the answers.

Newton, who has fronted her YouTube channel ‘The Anna Edit’ since 2010, has grown a loyal viewership who tune in for her weekly videos on everything from house renovations to the best summer foundation.

And now she has turned to print for her first book, An Edited Life, which offers a down-to-earth and realistic guide to getting neat and keeping things that way, all based on her own methods and experiences.

Over the last few years, Newton says she has minimised and ‘bullet-journalled’ her schedules down to the finest detail and along the way, she has realised something key… there is no one prescription for an organised life, a tidy home and calm mind. Instead, it’s all about editing.

So if you feel like you need steering in the right direction, then here are the basics that ultimately create the foundations for an edited life which involves methods, mantras and editing processes devised within a semi-minimalist framework.

From being a ‘militant thrower-outer’ to a slightly more chilled ‘neat-freak,’ Newton has learned how to clear out those dusty possessions and create daily time-saving habits that leave space in the brain to deal with everything else in life.

Learn how to edit your home, calendar, exercise regime, beauty regime, social life, me time, household budget, digital detox, beauty routine and office space so that your mindset can move to a more contented and purposeful place.

The book provides three sections that cover life, work and home, and each features hacks, lists and practical advice to get you started on creating a more organised way of living that is unique to each person and their individual needs.

Rather than binning all your possessions, Newton assures her readers, the guidelines are more about ‘tweaking’ your life and making it a little more streamlined. By utilising your time better, you will be able to spend more of it doing what makes you happy.

With its light-hearted look at self-organisation, the many practical tips on decluttering, and its abundant feel-good factor, An Edited Life is the perfect spring-clean for both you and your world.